Auxilliary retension garment for passengers of open air transportation

Abstract

As garment with a front and back pair of handles, to be worn by the driver of tandem riders on an open air transportation to provide the riders stability and to lessen the chances of a passenger from being thrown off. The back pair of handles is mounted in an inverted V-shape across the driver's back to reduce passenger wrist strain. The front pair of handles is mounted vertically upon the driver's torso and spaced sufficiently close to the driver's sides to prevent the passenger from having to bend in order to grasp them. The handles may be attached directly to the garment or to a harness permanently sewn or temporarily affixed inside the garment. The harness comprises a pair of parallel belts with quick release buckles connected to shoulder straps that are parallel in front, and crisscross in back above the top belt. The handles attach to both belts in order to evenly distribute passenger loads across the torso of the driver. Expandable side panels within the garment accommodate drivers of different clothing sizes.

1 . A garment for tandem riders worn by the driver of open air transportation, comprising:
 a) a lightweight garment substantially covering the torso of the driver; and,   b) a plurality of pairs of detachable handles covering the upper and middle torso of said garment,   c) wherein each handle comprises a quick release buckle on opposing ends of a strap with one end of said buckle permanently attached to said garment,   d) whereby the passenger has increased stability riding said vehicle when clasping said handles.   
     
     
         2 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are affixed to said garment and comprise one pair coupled in a parallel vertical position to the front of said garment and one pair coupled in an inverted-V shaped position to the back of said garment. 
     
     
         3 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein said front handles are spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles. 
     
     
         4 . The garment of  claim 1  further comprising expandable side panels within said outer garment with means adjustable for drivers of different clothing sizes. 
     
     
         5 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said handles may be detached from said garment for use in the absence of a passenger. 
     
     
         6 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said garment is selected from the group consisting of a sleeveless vest, a jacket, or a coat. 
     
     
         7 . The garment of  claim 1 , further comprising a nylon webbing harness sewn into the inside of said garment, comprising;
 a) a pair of parallel belts members encircling said torso, comprising a top belt and a bottom belt secured with buckles on the front torso;   b) a pair of shoulder straps attached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying in parallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and,   c) wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are coupled to said harness and accessible to the passenger on the outside surface of said garment via slits in said garment.   
     
     
         8 . The harness of  claim 7 , wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are coupled to said pair of belts in a manner to evenly distribute passenger load forces throughout said harness, with one each of the opposing ends of said handles attached to said top belt and said bottom belt. 
     
     
         9 . The harness of  claim 8 , wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles comprise one pair coupled in a parallel vertical position accessible on the front of said garment and one pair coupled in an inverted-V shaped position accessible on the back of said garment. 
     
     
         10 . The harness of  claim 9 , wherein said front handles are spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles. 
     
     
         11 . The harness of  claim 7 , wherein said handles may be detached from said harness for use in the absence of a passenger. 
     
     
         12 . A nylon webbing harness substantially covering the torso of the driver, comprising:
 a) a pair of parallel belts members encircling said torso, with a top belt and a bottom belt secured with a quick release mechanism on the front torso;   b) a pair of shoulder straps attached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying in parallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and,   c) a plurality of detachable handles coupled to said pair of belts comprising a quick release mechanism on opposing ends of a strap, wherein said handles are positioned on said harness to equally distributed passenger load forces throughout said harness.   
     
     
         13 . The harness of  claim 12 , wherein said handles comprise a pair of handles mounted in an inverted-V shape at an ergonomic angle across the driver's back with the upper handle end attached at the junction of shoulder straps and the top belt, and the lower handle end attached at the junction of shoulder straps and the bottom belt. 
     
     
         14 . The harness of  claim 12 , wherein a pair of said handles is mounted vertically on the front of said harness with the handles' upper end attached to the top belt and the handles' lower end attached to the bottom belt, and said handles are spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles. 
     
     
         15 . The harness of  claim 12 , wherein said quick release mechanism comprises side release buckles with female ends permanently attached to said harness. 
     
     
         16 . A garment for tandem riders worn by the driver of open air transportation, comprising:
 a) a lightweight waist-length garment substantially covering the torso of the driver and comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of reflective material for night safety, water flotation material, and wind and water resistant material; and,   b) a plurality of pairs of detachable handles covering the torso, at least one pair coupled in parallel alignment to the garment front, and at least one pair coupled diagonally to the garment back; and,   c) wherein said handles comprise a release mechanism on opposing ends of a strap to quickly remove said handles in the absence of a passenger,   d) whereby the passenger is less likely to be thrown from said vehicle when clasping said handles.   
     
     
         17 . The garment of  claim 16 , wherein said diagonal pair of handles is ergonomically aligned to reduce adverse forces exerted on passenger wrists. 
     
     
         18 . The garment of  claim 16 , wherein said vertical pair of handles is spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles. 
     
     
         19 . The garment of  claim 16 , further comprising expandable side panels with means adjustable for drivers of different clothing sizes. 
     
     
         20 . The garment of  claim 16 , wherein said waist-length garment is selected from the group consisting of a sleeveless vest, a jacket, or a coat.